Dear Family 

 

With an uncertain future, and as a family, we need to think about each other. Understanding how the world works makes it easier to navigate and I’ve taken on the responsibility to give you the heads up on that. I’m not trying to scare the crap out of you, it’s just about knowing what’s going on and keeping that firmly planted in the back of your head.

 

Our political system was set up by industrialists to serve industrialists. Governments pander to the rich and powerful and the most powerful are the fossil fuel industry. Government inaction on climate change protects that industry but threatens all of society and, on that note, the climate catastrophe we are going through right now could have been avoided. 

 

For 30 years climate scientists have been predicting the catastrophic weather events we are seeing today. Burning fossil fuel pumps greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. It’s like a blanket, the more fossil fuel we burn the thicker the blanket and the hotter the planet becomes. The result is unrepresented heat waves, droughts, bush fires, cyclones, floods, ice melt and sea level rise, on a global scale. It’s so simple a school kid understands the science: “We can stop global warming if we stop burning fossil fuel.” 

 

There are trillions of dollars to be made from fossil fuel and every war on the planet, right now, is about control of depleting oil and natural gas reserves. They don’t care about entire countries being decimated let alone our future. The rich and powerful controlling our politicians are not about to give up profit in favour of action on climate change. As a diversion, they generate false information fed to us by mainstream media and cohort governments.

 

We can identify the politicians and media owners who sponsor mass denial of the scientific evidence of the effects of a fossil fuel addicted economy on the climate. The same people who deploy the tools of mass manipulation to stoke fear, seed confusion, breed ignorance and create and then fuel hostile divisions within families and communities. Against the best professional advice, these are the same political representatives who refused to act on Australia's impending fire disaster. That being said, they can’t hide the climate impact staring us in the face but they can derail action to avert further global warming and more devastation.

 

Energy minister, Angus Taylor has repeatedly misled the public. He has denounced renewable energy, made spurious claims about the benefits of coal-fired power, and promoted the government’s claim to be observing our emissions-reduction commitments while vetoing any policy action that might promote that goal both nationally and internationally. The Australian federal government has shamefully been involved in undermining the science at UN climate talks. 

 

Together with exported coal and gas, Australia is responsible for nearly 5% of the global carbon footprint. The second highest per-capita in the world and, we are the worst of 50 countries taking action on climate change. We are also the country most severely impacted by climate driven extreme weather events and, the irony of that is not lost on the rest of the world. As the European Union, led by France, demands Australia make stronger climate commitments if we want a trade agreement with Europe. It’s a precursor to economic sanctions against Australia.

 

In the words of award winning Australian actor Russell Crowe:- "Make no mistake, the tragedy in Australia is climate change-based. We need to act based on science, move our global workforce to renewable energy and respect our planet for the unique and amazing place it is. That way, we all have a future."

 

When the PM returned from his Hawaii holiday, in the middle of the fire crisis, he said:- ''This is not the time to talk about Climate Change. We have to grow our economy.” American actress and singer, Bette Midler, responded:- “What an idiot! What good is an economy in an uninhabitable country? Lead, you f***wit!” Leading does not include producing an advertisement promoting yourself and the Liberal Party linked to donations for the Liberal Party. Right now the Prime Minister stands accused of partying during the crisis, turning up late, blaming the states for the fires* and then seeking to make political capital at the height of the emergency! 

 

* It should be noted that these bush-fires burnt straight through control burn areas, where fuel loads were removed, and straight through areas that had been burnt by bush-fires 3 years ago. More than three-quarters of Australia experienced the worst fire weather conditions on record as 2019 set a new benchmarks for heat, dryness and accumulated fire risk. The federal government blaming state forest management is a low act and a blatant diversion away from climate change and a typical fossil fuel industry response. They refuse to take any of the blame for it.

 

Irrespective of easily manipulated idiots like Morrison, don’t underestimate the power of the fossil fuel industry. Corporate controlled Trump's sanctions and attack on Yemen’s ally Iran is intended to protect coalition backed Saudi Arabia’s Aramco as they murder the innocent and plunder Yemen for oil. At fossil fuel coalition (US, UK & AUST) taxpayers expense and, takes us to the brink of war. On the same note, Venezuela has the largest oil reserves on the planet and that country destroying conflict is about East West control. If we keep burning all the fossil fuel we are fighting over, we destroy the planet and ourselves. Our only hope of avoiding perpetual war and climate catastrophe is to remove fossil fuel controlled governments.

 

Both money and wisdom are a defence but wisdom alone will nourish the soul and protect you. Let’s make this the year of twenty twenty vision. Capitalism is a fragile thing and runs purely on something completely intangible - Confidence! The impact of unprecedented natural disasters scares people and they become more cautious and reduce their spending. Without a boost in the economy’s productive, the monumental costs associated with the physical and psychological damage from extreme weather events can tip a country into recession and goes nowhere towards growing our economy (Mr Morrison) but everywhere towards destroying it.

 

The economic impact of “out of control” global warming far outweighs the cost of a carbon tax and the cost of phasing out fossil fuel to transition to sustainable clean energy. There are no jobs on a drowning and dying planet but there are plenty of jobs in wind, solar, hydro, battery storage and hydrogen energy. We already have the technology to move into a new era of clean energy.

 

Climate scientists, under professional obligation, are once again warning us that if we do nothing before 2030 global temperatures will continue to rise and extreme weather events will become progressively worse, with no way back. This is life threatening and country destroying. It’s the climate equivalent of WWIII on the horizon and it doesn’t get any more serious. Weigh it up - Profit to the powerful and politically influential fossil fuel industry against the untold cost of damage to our people, wildlife and country.

 

If there was an invading army coming to dial up our temperature, steal our water, burn our country, wipe out our wildlife, drown our cities with unprecedented floods, decimate our homes and infrastructure, destroy our economy and kill us and our families, you would demand to be fully informed. You have been fully informed and there is no longer any excuse! Driven by the burning of fossil fuels, global warming is upon us and is no less deadly than an invading army, with the worst destruction yet to come.

 

Politicians take a vow of office to protect the country and its people, as a first priority, and they need to seriously consider that. History tells us that there is a point where society under pressure will rebel and, in this instance, those promoting the burning of fossil fuel, at some point in time, will be held to account for atrocities that could have been avoided. With our economy crushed and our nation devastated, hovering on the horizon is not just catastrophic and irreversible climate change but also outrage, with an angry population screaming: "You should have done more!"

 

Once again, our hearts go out to those impacted by this extreme and unprecedented fire event and, along with the public at large, I believe we have a moral obligation to demand action on climate change. We have until the end of this decade to slash CO2 emissions and avert catastrophic and irreversible global heating. If we wish to protect our future, and for the sake of our country, the natural world and the national estate, we need to do everything we can to install a climate action government.

 

What we get from this is that we are up against the super powerful fossil fuel industry and their beneficiaries plus corrupted politicians and powerful media outlets. All hell bent on letting global warming run rampant and destroy the planet in favour of short term profit. They are powerful but they have a weakness. This is still a democracy and, provided the majority are not brainwashed, we can beat them at the ballot box.

 

We need to stand in solidarity with our youth and, for the sake of our children and grandchildren, look to the future and start preparing.

 

All the best and thinking of you

 

Stephen

7th January 2020

​

​

Go to the next article: Ice melt & rising oceans

​